Firefighters Refused To Rescue Stranded Cat, But It's Safe Meow

[joeybee12]

?6

A stray cat was stuck on top of a pole for days, but who's the real pussy here?

The feline known as the "McKellar Kitty" is safely on solid ground, but the firefighters, police and hydro workers of Peterborough, Ontario refused to rescue the animal for two days, according to the Toronto Sun.

The cat was first spotted atop the hydro pole, owned by Peterborough Utilities, on Tuesday. When officials failed to rescue the cat, members of the surrounding community weren't the only ones who were purrrturbed. The hashtag #SaveMcKellarKitty (named after the street where the pole was located) popped up on Twitter, as did the fake (we think) Twitter account @PtboPoleCat.


My Kawartha reported that the utility company issued a statement explaining why they would not rescue the cat:

Our past practice is to allow the animal to come down on its own. The animal may be cold and tired, but also frightened. Having an employee attempt to rescue the animal may cause it to panic and could therefore place both the animal and the employee at risk.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/21/firefighters-refuse-to-rescue-cat-pole_n_4832470.html

[AnneD]

1. As a friend once wisely said...

how many cat skeletons have you ever seen in a tree anyway?

[LisaLynne]

2. Ok, your friend may have a point there.

[LisaL]

3. It's not a point, it's a lame joke.

"This sarcastic question is usually intended to “prove” that cats never get stuck in trees. When they feel like coming down, they will, goes this misguided thinking. The premise of the lame joke, however, is utter nonsense. Cats do get stuck in trees. They do die. Here’s why, and what to do if your cat (or a cat you know) ever gets stuck in a tree."

http://www.nevadacounty.com/cat-stuck-in-a-tree-if-they-could-come-down-they-would/

[bigwillq]

4. I thought it was a great joke.

[LisaL]

9. Not after I heard it about a 1000 times.

[bigwillq]

10. Wow. I must live in a cave.

I'm never heard that (lame) joke before.

[AnneD]

11. Granted....

I was younger when I heard it, but I really haven't heard it since. Since we are in the same cave, can you pass me the

[LisaLynne]

6. A lame joke in the Lounge?

You've got to be kidding me!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. LOL

[bigwillq]

5. BWAH!

[joeybee12]

7. Actually, a similar thing happened here in Vegas...

Cat was up for 4-5 days, no help from police, firefighters, utility company...a landscape guy with a lift got the cat down...sometimes they really do stay up there.

[NV Whino]

12. Yeah a tree guy pulled that one on me once

When my newly adopted cat got scared and stayed in a tree for two days. I replied, "Yeah, it's because they die of dehydration and fall out." That shut him up. Although he retaliated by dropping her 10 feet.

And, she did have a very short life, very probably because her stay in the tree compromised her immune system.

[lame54]

8. What's next? - Cops stop eating donuts?

[orleans]

13. shame on those who wouldn't help

we had a starling who got its leg caught in a crack at the top of a phone pole. it was in the brutal heat and sun of summer and after awhile it didn't have the energy to flutter its wings or struggle to get free.

it was just hanging upside down in the sun.

it was horrific to see/watch. and how helpless i felt, other than making stupid phone calls.

the wildlife rescue would not come out and help because it was a starling and if nature wanted it to die in this cruel way then so be it--we have too many starlings & they are not protected.

i can't remember who finally rescued the bird with the cherry-picker (can't remember if it was the fire dept. or a tree trimming guy who happened to be in the neighborhood.)

but the starling was finally freed from the crack in the phone pole. but because it was a starling, the wildlife rescue wouldn't take it in to help it recover. it died in a cage in a neighbor's garage.

nature isn't the only one who is cruel.

[shenmue]

15. Glad kitty's okay

Whew.

[Bombero1956]

16. This was our department's policy on cats

We would get calls all the time about cats in trees. The policy was to instruct the caller to place a can of food or tuna at the base of the tree and eventually hunger would win out over fear. We had a man break his arm trying to rescue a cat. The cat scratched his face and he fell off the ladder hitting his arm on the way down. After that the chief said we were done.